My little boy (11 months old) has just discovered how the buttons and dials of the washing machine work. This is inconvenient, because the machine does not react well to random button mashing while it's running - leading to program changes, stops and the like.

This is something I looked at when re-fitting the kitchen and doesn't seem to feature as something which is thought about very much by appliance designers. Some brands of appliances do come with a simple lock mode (eg press and hold down one button to lock the interface / press and hold down again to activate).
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PhillipWJun 26 '13 at 9:27

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In computer hardware, these protections are known as Molly Guards, maybe that will give you more angles to consider. The only childproofing I've ever seen on washing machines consisted of the buttons being far away from the floor, though.
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Ulrich SchwarzJun 26 '13 at 9:55

Haha, I red "My little boy (11 years old)"... Would have been more interesting to see the answers to that :)
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Henrik EkblomJun 26 '13 at 12:58

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As the father of a 13 month old, I can tell you my solution for any and all childproofing questions invariably ends with a gate that blocks access to the entire room in question :)
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Charles WesleyJun 26 '13 at 15:59

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The same issue also applies to ovens: and having an oven turned up to max with something in it, by little fingers, can be a lot more catastrophic.
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PhillipWJun 26 '13 at 16:00

6 Answers
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Our machine has a pretty good implementation.
Activating child lock is done via it's (simple) menu.
While the machine is not running, its behaviour is unchanged. Most kids lack the strength to close the door so there is very little danger of a toddler washing the family pet.
Once the machine is started its behaviour changes in two key ways. First, the front panel goes dark to avoid attracting small children in the first place. Second it ignores all of its controls, EXCEPT for a long press of the start button, which is easy for an adult to remember and do, but most small kids don't have the patience to hold a button down for several seconds.
It's getting that balance right between having an action that is unlikely to accidental and not having one that is so convoluted that it annoys the user. @prince, I think the parallel between this and mobile phone unlock is a good one.

This also smells to me like a security issue, I'd put a child gate on the kitchen. :)

It also helps if there's a clear 'lock' graphic on the front of the machine - as by the time the child has started pressing buttons, you'll have 'filed' the instruction book somewhere safe (and forgotten)
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PhillipWJun 26 '13 at 15:56

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My washing machine and dishwasher both have "long press" to set and clear the child-lock.
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Paddy LandauJun 26 '13 at 18:36

Well, a washing machine needs to be used frequently but just to make sure someone doesnt accidently press any switches, we cannot or shouldnot provide high security or anything, i mean its after all the washing machine.

So i think it will be better to provide autolocking feature after the user doesnt press any button for sometime. Instead of giving a keycode to unlock it i think its better to take a page from the old mobile phone's book. Long press the lock button to unlock it!! How about that??

@11684 true... But same goes in the case of setting a password...
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princeJun 26 '13 at 11:51

Perhaps add it to the answer? With a password, it's kind of obvious to keep it secret. With a button press... The kid might spot you long-pressing that button and replicate that. Remember, the boy from the question is 11 years old.
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11684Jun 26 '13 at 11:54

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@11684 The boy is only 11 months old... But it doesnt matter. But we should consider the fact that adding password entry means number keys which means increased price for washing machine.
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princeJun 26 '13 at 11:57

I think the older layout of washing machines was great for that exact purpose; the controls (and for the washer which presents a possible drowning hazard, the door) are on the top and to the rear of the machine. An 11-month-old has no chance of reaching them unless he's sitting on top of the machine, and if he's sitting on top then his parents only have to look in a mirror to identify the problem.

Many of the newer HE washer/dryer sets now have all the controls on the front at the top, for ease of access. Well, you wanted ease of access, you got it, for everyone including little one (assuming he's tall enough or can step up on a stool to get to the controls).

Many I've seen do have a "lock" feature. Press and hold a "lock" button for one second and the controls are disabled (and the door latch locked) until you press and hold some combination of buttons that a toddler ostensibly couldn't stretch his fingers far enough to hit at the same time. That's probably as good as it gets, and if you want better you should again probably look in a mirror; how is your 11-month-old kid getting enough time to himself in the laundry area (which has myriad household chemicals that could kill him) to mess up the washer cycle?

Remember the Douglas Adams adage: "A common mistake that people make when trying to design something completely foolproof is to underestimate the ingenuity of complete fools". That holds for children as well. In fact, nothing's ever labelled "childproof" anymore because that implies a 100% guarantee that a child could never get past it (leading to several lawsuits, often successful, against manufacturers of these devices). What was "childproof" is now "child-resistant". Take heed; that's really the best you can do.

As an aside, stoves and ovens used to have similar layouts as the older style of washing machines, and many still do. The recent move on electric stoves to putting the controls on the front is as much a safety thing as having them at the rear on a washer/dryer; it's kind of hard to turn off the burner when you have to reach through a column of boiling steam or flame to do so. Gas cooktop designers have known that for years, but electric appliances are just now catching on.